BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping promised on Friday to defend the `territorial integrity` of Tajikistan as he announced a boost to diplomatic relations with the neighbouring country on a rare visit.

Xi arrived in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on Thursday night from Kazakhstan following a gathering of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), during which he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged the bloc to `resist external interference`.

Central Asia is a vital link in China`s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive infrastructure project that Beijing has used to expand its clout overseas, but which critics say has left developing countries saddled with onerous loans.

Beijing has sought to fill a void in the region created by Moscow`s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as former Soviet states worry about an increasingly bellicose Russia.

`China will continue to unswervingly promote friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with Tajikistan... firmly support Tajikistan`s efforts to safeguard national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,` Xi told his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Xi also pledged to `firmly oppose any external interference in Tajikistan`s internal affairs under any pretext`, without mentioning any foreign player by name.

Beijing has recently stepped up its diplomatic efforts in Central Asia, a region rich in hydrocarbons and crucial for the transport of goods between Europe and Asia, but also traditionally a region of Russian influence.

Xi, who was welcomed by Rahmon at Dushanbe`s airport where more than 1,500 young Tajiks dressed in traditional costumes performed Chinese and Tajik songs and dances,praisedhis counterpart.

`Thanks to the joint efforts of the two sides, the political mutual trust between the two countries has been continuously deepened,` said Xi, praising Rahmon.-AFP